Saturday, December 19, 2015

Random thoughts while waiting for the bedroom to cool down

The S.O. did too good a job of firing up the woodstove today. Even though we started letting the fire die down well in advance of our usual time for retiring for the evening, it's still warm enough up in the bedroom that I can't sleep. So here I am, thinking random thoughts while killing time for an hour or two.

Random Thought One: Why can't I find a decent book on Ojibwe history? I've got two things going on -- a grant application to write and an exhibit to update -- where a recent history would be really nice to consult. Surely there must be something more recent than William Warren's History of the Ojibway People. Granted, it's considered a classic, but it would be really nice to find something that wasn't based on stories the author's relatives told. So am I using the wrong search terms when I'm checking WorldCat, Library of Congress, Amazon, and other sites or have the Ojibwe really been that thoroughly overlooked by both academics and folks who write history for a lay audience? They're the 4th largest Native American tribe in the country -- why has everyone ignored them?

There are, incidentally, a fair number of memoirs, books written from the perspective of one person, but what I want is a general history.

Random Thought Two: Do we really want to do the campground host thing again? It hit me as I was lying there awake, sweating and giving serious thought to opening a window (a move I'd regret come morning when it's only 12 degrees outside right now), that we hadn't submitted our volunteer application to the Missouri State Parks yet. Last year I think I did the 2015 application within a week or two of getting home in November. If I keep procrastinating, we'll be SOL. . . but I'm not sure that's a bad thing. Maybe I'll have it figured out by New Year's.

Random Thought Three: I'm still missing my cat even if I'm not missing the cat hair and dander. The area around my desk is actually staying clean after I sweep, no drifts of cat hair large enough to construct another cat from, no cat dander to gross me out. Cleo had the worst case of dandruff I've ever seen on any animal; super dry flaky skin is apparently one of the side effects of diabetes in cats. (Note to any cat owners out there: if your cat starts resembling a walking snow storm, get the beast's blood sugar levels checked.) Still, every time I crawl into bed I'm missing having that large furry lump purring by my feet.

Random Thought Four: The Apocalypse may be near. Christmas is 6 days away and I am done with shopping and/or frantically crafting (knitting, quilting, whatever). I still have two cards to mail, but that's it. I've never been done this early before. I'm the person who's usually in the store late in the day on Christmas Eve. Heck, there was one year when I did my Christmas shopping on December 26 (I figured the kid was so young she wouldn't notice). It feels very, very strange. I keep thinking there's more to do and then realizing there isn't. Spooky, very spooky.

On the other hand, it doesn't pay to get stuff done too early. I was looking in a drawer for something else when I found a toy we'd bought many months ago intending to give it to the younger great granddaughter for either her birthday or Christmas. Totally forgot about it and purchased several other things a couple weeks ago. The kid is going to make out like a little bandit this year, which is kind of a shame because she's still so young (just turned one) that she won't really appreciate all that loot.

Random Thought Five: Maybe next year I'll follow through on my threat to make one of the grandkids a bunny suit (as in the bunny suit seen in A Christmas Story). Or maybe just order one in the appropriate size. The grandsons wouldn't appreciate one, but either of the little girls would look cute in it.

Random Thought Six: It finally got cold enough that they can flood the broomball rinks at Michigan Tech. Now it just has to stay cold enough that once the rinks are flooded and frozen they stay that way. Why I'm thinking about broomball at all is kind of a mystery; even in my Tech days I didn't play it. The closest I came to ice was figure skating on my lunch breaks when I was a temporary secretary in the Athletic Department, although a couple of the other women working there did try to talk me into joining their hockey team. I was a lot younger and fitter then; I was actually tempted. Anyway, maybe I'm thinking about broomball because we drove by the forlorn looking rinks the other day.

In any case, we've had Real Winter for two days now, which gives a person hope that maybe there won't be much more driving on slush down the luge run to town.

And now I think I'll go see if the bedroom has cooled down to the point where it no longer resembles a sauna.

And here I was all prepared for a steamy blog.I sleep better with an open window regardless of the temperature outside. However one morning (Many years ag) there was ice on the water glass by the bed under the window. We thought we may have over done the opening a bit.

I totally relate to you. Yesterday the temperature was thirty degrees and I fired off the wood stove to save fuel oil. By bedtime the house was so warm I was uncomfortable even stripped down to my underpants - at these temperatures you are damned if you do and damned if you don't.

As you know from some of my post I often wake up at night - or go to bed late and experience mind jumble. I find myself pondering on things that that are out of the ordinary.

My wife and I lived in Native villages for eleven years. If you want authentic material on Ojibwe I suggest you make contact with an Ojibwe tribe as they usually have stories and materials not commercially available; and I am sure they would be willing to put you in contact with a good source. Also, universities near major tribal lands usually have research material stored - sometimes even oral history tapes. I know virtually nothing about Ojibwe, but I am certain their tribal history is fascinating.

We lost our cat of eighteen years our companion. We waited a year and then adopted two Maine Coon cats - a kitten and a four year old. Now we both realize how empty our house was during the year without a cat.